“It really is a simple add to a drink that gives it backbone and makes it just a little different,” says Ernesto bar director Sarah Morrissey of her Black Pepper–Vanilla Syrup. Originally created for her Deacon Blues cocktail, 40 cracks of black pepper give the Old-Fashioned riff a spicy bite, yielding the sort of herbal complexity that Angostura bitters often provide in other cocktails.
